15 Ways Ugc Can Build a Stronger Brand Community
User-generated content (UGC) has become a powerful tool for building brand communities. This article explores various ways companies can leverage UGC to strengthen their connection with customers. Drawing on insights from industry experts, it offers practical strategies for turning customer engagement into a driving force for brand growth.
- Turn Customer Photos into Community Connections
- Spotlight Customer Expertise to Foster Community
- Upcycled Product Stories Boost Engagement
- Transform Polls into Dynamic Dialogue Starters
- Empower Creators to Share Authentic Experiences
- Guitar Mod Mondays Unite Enthusiasts
- Self-Care Routines Inspire Supportive Community
- AI Success Stories Spark Client Collaboration
- Device Recycling Stories Create Shared Purpose
- User Submissions Diversify Content Strategy
- Nature Stories Foster Mutual Understanding
- Local Business Wins Build Entrepreneurial Network
- Unboxing Videos Transform Products into Traditions
- Patient Reviews Build Trust in Healthcare
- Employee Advocacy Boosts Brand Authenticity
Turn Customer Photos into Community Connections
We once ran a campaign where we asked customers to share photos of their "work-from-anywhere" setups using our product. People got really into it—posting everything from beachside laptops to messy kitchen tables—and we reposted the best ones on our feed. It wasn't just content; it turned into a running inside joke and gave followers a sense that they were part of a bigger crew. The outcome was huge: engagement shot up, new people joined in just to be featured, and it made the brand feel way more human and community-driven.
Spotlight Customer Expertise to Foster Community
Our customers are often small business owners and professionals. Their work can be isolating, and we realized that they're a community of experts who don't always have a place to connect. Our previous approach to user-generated content was a simple request for a product review. We knew we had to do more to build a real sense of community.
Our approach was to give our customers a platform to showcase their expertise. We shifted our focus from asking them to talk about us and started asking them to talk about themselves. We launched a campaign we called "Expert Spotlight."
From a marketing standpoint, we would find a customer who had completed a challenging project, and we'd ask them to share a few photos and a brief description of their work. The focus wasn't on our product; it was on their skill and their success. We would then feature their story on our website and social media. From an operations standpoint, we created a new process where if a customer called with a difficult problem, our support team would say, "That's a great question. We have a customer who just solved that exact problem. Would you like me to connect you?"
The outcome was a huge win. We built a stronger sense of community because our customers were connecting with each other, not just with us. We became a hub for expertise, and our customers were proud to be a part of it. The result was a dramatic increase in positive referrals and a huge boost in loyalty. Our customers were no longer just buying from us; they were a part of our community.
My advice is simple: the best way to build a community is to give your customers a platform to shine. When you stop seeing them as just buyers and start seeing them as the experts they are, you build a relationship that's based on respect, not transactions.
Upcycled Product Stories Boost Engagement
At Dwij, inviting customers to share photos and stories of how they use our upcycled products created a powerful sense of community. We asked them to post on social media with a specific hashtag, showcasing the practical and creative ways they incorporated our bags and accessories into daily life. This user-generated content (UGC) made customers feel like part of a shared mission rather than just buyers. Within six months, engagement on our social channels rose by 37%, and returning visitors to our website increased by 23%. The genuine stories from real users brought authenticity that no polished ad could match. It also helped new customers see the value and versatility of our products firsthand. One unexpected benefit was that customers began inspiring each other with new ideas, strengthening the community even further. This approach reveals that creating space for your audience's voice can turn customers into advocates and build lasting loyalty, a strategy any business can apply to deepen relationships beyond transactions.
Transform Polls into Dynamic Dialogue Starters
We experimented with spotlighting community polls where participants shared their views on emerging learning technologies. Instead of presenting the results as static data, we highlighted individual comments and personal perspectives. This approach turned simple surveys into active dialogue starters. The outcome was both engaging and insightful. People felt more invested in the results because they had contributed their own voice. Many participants returned to see how opinions evolved, which created a steady flow of interaction and interest.
Over time, this practice generated a cycle of anticipation and participation. It transformed what could have been passive feedback into an ongoing conversation that felt dynamic and inclusive. By amplifying user-generated content, we strengthened the bonds across our audience and reinforced the sense that every voice had real value. This not only deepened trust but also shaped how future discussions unfolded in more meaningful ways.
Empower Creators to Share Authentic Experiences
One of the most powerful ways we've built community is through user-generated content. During our campaign with Roku, instead of relying solely on polished ads, we empowered micro and nano creators to share their authentic experiences with the brand. These weren't scripted spots; they were creators showing Roku in their daily lives, in their own voices, with their own audiences.
The outcome was undeniable. Engagement rates skyrocketed because people trusted the voices they already followed. What began as individual pieces of UGC quickly turned into a shared conversation across communities in different regions. That sense of authenticity not only drove measurable ROI for Roku, it also reinforced what we've always believed at Ranked: culture spreads faster when people feel ownership of the story.
By amplifying UGC, we didn't just promote a product; we created a community moment that brands could never manufacture alone.
Guitar Mod Mondays Unite Enthusiasts
My biggest UGC win was launching Mod Monday on Instagram - customers share their guitar upgrade projects using our parts with #GuykerModMonday. What started as a few posts exploded into hundreds of submissions monthly.
The community aspect developed naturally when builders started commenting on each other's work, sharing technical tips, and collaborating on custom projects. I've seen bedroom producers connect with touring musicians, all bonding over pickup swaps and bridge upgrades.
The outcome exceeded expectations - not just increased sales, but genuine relationships forming. Several customers have started their own mod shops after connecting through our hashtag community. Our engagement rates tripled, and more importantly, we created a space where guitar enthusiasts genuinely help each other improve their instruments and skills.
Self-Care Routines Inspire Supportive Community
We encouraged customers to share their self-care routines that included our massagers, framing it as a way to inspire others dealing with similar pain challenges. By reposting these routines with customer permission, we showcased diverse approaches to wellness and made our audience feel seen and valued. This sparked a sense of belonging, as people began exchanging tips and encouraging each other in the comments.
The campaign boosted repeat engagement, with many customers continuing to share updates even after it ended. Over time, this created a tight-knit community where our brand became synonymous with support and shared progress.
AI Success Stories Spark Client Collaboration
We created an "AI Success Stories" campaign where clients share before-and-after results from implementing our AI marketing solutions. Instead of traditional testimonials, we encouraged clients to create video case studies showing their actual dashboards and results. This authentic UGC not only provided social proof but also sparked conversations between clients who began sharing strategies and tips with each other. The community aspect increased client retention by 85% and generated 23 warm referrals in six months, proving that UGC can transform customers from individual users into collaborative community members.
Device Recycling Stories Create Shared Purpose
We once encouraged people to share short clips of themselves trading in an old phone and talking about what they planned to do with the cash. Some were saving for bills, others were buying groceries, and a few just wanted a guilt-free treat.
We highlighted those clips across social media and in email. The reaction was immediate. Comments were filled with others saying, "I did this too" or "That's exactly why I recycle my devices." It wasn't about the transaction anymore; it was about shared experiences and feeling part of something bigger.
The outcome was stronger retention and higher repeat use. More importantly, the community grew into people motivating each other to keep old devices out of drawers and out of landfills. That sense of shared action is what keeps the momentum alive.
User Submissions Diversify Content Strategy
We launched social media campaigns and contests that invited our customers to submit their brand experiences, photos, and testimonials. This approach not only diversified our content strategy beyond traditional blog posts but also significantly strengthened our community as users began engaging with each other's submissions. The initiative resulted in higher engagement metrics across our platforms and provided us with authentic content that resonated more deeply with our audience. Perhaps most valuable was gaining fresh perspectives on how our products impact customers' lives, which has informed our subsequent marketing strategies.
Nature Stories Foster Mutual Understanding
We used community-generated content to ask a simple question about how nature restores people. The answers arrived from every corner, each unique and authentic. We shared these stories on our social channels with care, ensuring that the voices of our community remained at the center. By focusing on their experiences, we learned how powerful listening can be and how it can build meaningful connections.
The outcome was inspiring. Our community stopped looking to us for guidance and began inspiring each other. They exchanged thoughts, offered encouragement, and realized they were not alone in seeking balance with the natural world. This interaction created a space of mutual respect and understanding. For us, it was a clear reminder that a brand nurtures its community best by stepping back and allowing others to shape the conversation.
Local Business Wins Build Entrepreneurial Network
We united our community through our #LocalWins UGC campaign to inspire small business owners to share their own stories of adversity and triumph. This effort spawned peer-to-peer support communities that lived beyond the relationships we had directly with our customers. "Real community" doesn't just broadcast content from your brand to a single follower; it also helps connect one fan to another.
Our plan was to build a branded hashtag, inspiring local entrepreneurs to share about their successes — i.e., new locations, significant anniversaries, product launches with great success, involvement in the community — and tag other businesses they supported or worked with. We promoted the best entries on our social media and blog, providing additional exposure to the businesses that participated, and highlighting the wide variety of success stories in our local business community.
The result was better than expected - with the campaign being the source of over 400 posts created by over 150 different businesses in just six months. This created natural networking for like businesses that found each other through the tag. Three restaurant owners, in particular, forged cross-promotional partnerships after meeting through #LocalWins posts, and a number of businesses cited customers who found us as a result of the campaign content.
The community effect started happening once business owners started reaching out to each other's posts, giving advice, sharing resources, and referring customers to them without us having to be involved. This constant activity with peers led to a self-supporting network of contacts that fed us business for years after we promoted our campaign. The UGC approach turned our followers from isolated individuals into an active business community, allowing like-minded individuals to support each other and collaborate with one another.
Unboxing Videos Transform Products into Traditions
When we rolled out our "Behind the Box" campaign, we asked customers to film short videos of themselves unboxing our hampers while they shared who they were gifting them to and why. Rather than focusing on polished, influencer-style content, we chose to celebrate imperfections - the shaky camera, the kids running in, the authentic emotions. We showcased these videos not only through our social media channels but also through the newly created "Stories" section on our website, where each video submission linked to a comment thread where others could react, share similar stories, and connect.
The outcome was a genuine micro-community that began to take action outside of our prompts - customers began tagging each other, sharing gifting ideas, and meeting locally. Our engagement rates had tripled, repeat purchase frequency increased by 27%, and we experienced a subtle but impactful shift - customers changed their references to our hampers from "products" and began calling them "traditions." This linguistic change signaled that we were not simply selling products anymore: we were part of their rituals.
Patient Reviews Build Trust in Healthcare
In healthcare practices, user-generated content often takes the form of patient reviews and testimonials. We assist practices in collecting this feedback and help them share it on their social channels through one of our features, turning authentic patient voices into community-driven stories. For example, one urgent care center we worked with began posting weekly "Patient Experience Highlights" featuring real reviews gathered through RepuGen.
The outcome was powerful. Patients not only engaged with the posts but also began sharing their own experiences in the comments, creating a sense of belonging and trust. Over time, this organic sharing led to higher engagement rates on social media and a noticeable increase in new patient appointments, with many citing reviews they saw online as their reason for choosing the practice.
Employee Advocacy Boosts Brand Authenticity
At Lusha, we implemented an employee advocacy UGC campaign that initially struggled due to our assumption that participation would happen naturally. We pivoted our strategy by introducing 15-minute content creation workshops and offering gift card incentives ranging from $25-50, which proved to be a turning point. This approach significantly increased authentic team participation from almost zero to 4-5 posts weekly. The resulting content not only strengthened our internal community but also presented a more genuine brand voice to our external audience.
